Future Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson wanted to play defensive back when he started his high school career. He tried out for the varsity team in ninth grade, focused on becoming the starter for Deerfield Beach High in Florida.

He didn’t get the starting job but showed the coaches he was open to doing whatever it took to get on the field at an early level in his football career.

After 47 career games at Michigan and 6,250 career passing yards and 49 career touchdown passes, Robinson will have to be open to doing whatever it takes to get to the NFL. That means not playing quarterback anymore.

In what has been a sudden transition from Big Ten quarterback to hopeful NFL wide receiver, Robinson’s potential suitors will closely watch his progression during Michigan's pro day on Thursday.

Robinson didn’t fully mesh with Brady Hoke’s offense when he took over for Rich Rodriguez, although Robinson became more exposed in the pro-style passing attack the last two seasons.

After a nerve injury Oct. 27, Robinson shifted to running back/receiver to finish his career at Michigan. Robinson's time there (mostly at running back) allowed him to flash elite speed and open field running ability.

The problem for Robinson, it didn’t show his value at receiver.

Arriving at the Senior Bowl in late January, Robinson only had three weeks to learn how to run an array of routes, get separation, elude press coverage, finish catches away from his body and understand his role as a blocker. While he was heavily criticized for his lack of development as a receiver in Mobile, putting it all in perspective, Robinson merely is a work in progress.

He showed bits of everything at the Senior Bowl. His deep-out routes, hitch routes and go routes flashed some development—impressive for an under-prepared receiver. He used his hands better than many college receivers to gain separation downfield on deep comebacks, though not consistently enough. His focus on reeling the ball in along the sideline showed some raw ability, despite just three career catches at Michigan.

Robinson showed just about every skill a slot receiver needs. He seemed like a prospect who could put it all together with more development and practice. From my perspective, Robinson was developing these skills faster than anticipated.

At the Scouting Combine, Robinson displayed his elite speed, quickness and athleticism. A former sprinter for Michigan’s track and field team, Robinson was the team’s feature 60-meter dash runner in 2010. In Indianapolis, he ran a 4.42 (fifth among WRs) in the 40-yard dash and posted a 36.5 vertical jump (eighth among WRs). In pass-catching drills, his routes and hands were more consistent and confident.

Robinson’s pro day is the next step to show what he can be at the next level. He’ll likely stand on his Combine numbers, though he reportedly has run a 4.32 in his career. Robinson might try to lower his already impressive Combine 40 time. Teams will be there to see his development in other areas—as a route runner, his ability to extend away from his body to make catches and how he's processing a crash course in receiving into one, consolidated workout.

No NFL team will draft Robinson purely as a slot receiver in the top five rounds. Without any special teams experience as a gunner or on kickoffs, Robinson can’t provide much help as a tackler the way most mid-to-late round picks need to as rookies. Therefore, teams will evaluate added value as a running back and/or as a kick returner to be considered a top 125 selection.

Robinson was college football’s best running quarterback the past three years and has obvious open-field elusiveness and speed to produce big plays, but NFL teams will question if he can hold up after five to seven carries a game as a runner. Before the nerve damage, Robinson hadn't missed a game since his sophomore year of high school.

As a returner, his quickness and explosion makes him a great fit, but only if he can gather the ball cleanly, something he struggled with at the Senior Bowl. He has the hand size (more than 10 inches) to gather the ball, but it takes time to develop this unique skill-set.

He isn’t alone in this transition. We’ve seen many NFL success stories of quarterbacks making the transition to receiver. Antwan Randle El, whose Big Ten rushing record for a quarterback was surpassed by Robinson, is one that’s a trendy comparison because of the position change and Big Ten ties.

Four quarterbacks in NCAA history have had two seasons of 2,000-plus passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards. They are Robinson, Colin Kaepernick, Joe Webb and Brad Smith. Despite being two inches taller, Smith may be the best comparison for Robinson in projecting his future NFL role.

Robinson has a lot on his plate leading up to the draft. Can he develop receiver techniques? Can he develop the pass catching ability to be a reliable target? Does he have early career value as a runner and/or kick returner?

Robinson has been trying to answer these questions since his final game at Michigan. The Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine began to show his progression. But Thursday in Ann Arbor might be his best—and final—chance to show what he can bring to the NFL.

-- Eric Galko, Optimum Scouting Sporting News. This article originally appeared on SportingNews.com